Friday, January 31, 2014

Resistance Training Can Reverse the Effects of Aging According to New Study


    A new study shows elderly adults who engage in resistance training can reduce the effects of aging.  Not only does exercise make most people feel better and perform physical tasks better, it now appears that exercise - specifically, resistance training -- actually rejuvenates muscle tissue in healthy senior citizens.
The study involved before and after analysis of gene expression profiles in tissue samples taken from 25 healthy older men and women who underwent six months of twice weekly resistance training, compared to a similar analysis of tissue samples taken from younger healthy men and women.
The study, co-led by Buck Institute faculty member Simon Melov, PhD, and Mark Tarnopolsky, MD, PhD, of McMaster University Medical Center in Hamilton, Ontario, involved before and after analysis of gene expression profiles in tissue samples taken from 25 healthy older men and women who underwent six months of twice weekly resistance training, compared to a similar analysis of tissue samples taken from younger healthy men and women.
The gene expression profiles involved age-specific mitochondrial function; mitochondria act as the "powerhouse" of cells. Multiple studies have suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the loss of muscle mass and functional impairment commonly seen in older people. The study was the first to examine the gene expression profile, or the molecular "fingerprint", of aging in healthy disease-free humans. Results showed that in the older adults, there was a decline in mitochondrial function with age. However, exercise resulted in a remarkable reversal of the genetic fingerprint back to levels similar to those seen in the younger adults. The study also measured muscle strength. Before exercise training, the older adults were 59% weaker than the younger adults, but after the training the strength of the older adults improved by about 50%, such that they were only 38% weaker than the young adults.
"We were very surprised by the results of the study," said Melov. "We expected to see gene expressions that stayed fairly steady in the older adults. The fact that their ‘genetic fingerprints' so dramatically reversed course gives credence to the value of exercise, not only as a means of improving health, but of reversing the aging process itself, which is an additional incentive to exercise as you get older."
The study participants were recruited at McMaster University. The younger (20 to 35 with an average age of 26) and older (older than 65 with an average age of 70) adults were matched in terms of diet and exercise; none of them took medication or had diseases that can alter mitochondrial function. Tissue samples were taken from the thigh muscle. The six month resistance training was done on standard gym equipment. The twice-weekly sessions ran an hour in length and involved 30 contractions of each muscle group involved, similar to training sessions available at most fitness centers. The strength test was based on knee flexion.
The older participants, while generally active, had never participated in formal weight training said co-first author Tarnopolsky, who directs the Neuromuscular and Neurometabolic Clinic at McMaster University. In a four month follow up after the study was complete, he said most of the older adults were no longer doing formal exercise in a gym, but most were doing resistance exercises at home, lifting soup cans or using elastic bands. "They were still as strong, they still had the same muscle mass," said Tarnopolsky. "This shows that it's never too late to start exercising and that you don't have to spend your life pumping iron in a gym to reap benefits."
Future studies are being designed to determine if resistance training has any genetic impact on other types of human tissue, such as those that comprise organs; researchers also want to determine whether endurance training (running, cycling) impacts mitochondrial function and the aging process. The most recent study also points to particular gene expressions that could be used as starting points for chemical screenings that could lead to drug therapies that would modulate the aging process.
"The vast majority of aging studies are done in worms, fruit flies and mice; this study was done in humans," said Melov. "It's particularly rewarding to be able to scientifically validate something practical that people can do now to improve their health and the quality of their lives, as well as knowing that they are doing something which is actually reversing aspects of the aging process."
The results of the study appeared in the May 23, 2009 edition of the on-line, open access journal PLoS One.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Skip Stretching for a Better Workout


Many people stretch before their workout because they have been led to believe that stretching before their workout will loosen up their muscles and improve their workout . A new study however, says if you want a better workout, then don't stretch beforehand.
Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretchingon the spot, perhaps hoping it will loosen them up for their work-out. Most fitness experts now agree this kind of stretching before exercise is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Tradtional Stretching Can Injure

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax -- exactly the opposite of what is needed for physical activity according to fitness experts. This type of stretch, called static stretching, is more likely to cause muscle pulls, rather than prevent them.

"We have developed this idea of static stretching at exactly the wrong time," said Kieran O'Sullivan, an exercise expert at the University of Limerick in Ireland, who has studied various types of stretching and their impact on athletes.

When you stretch before exercising, your body may think it's at risk of being overstretched. The body compensates by contracting and becoming more tense. That means you aren't as flexible, and you are not able to move as fast or as freely, making you more likely to get injured.

Static Stretching Can Make You Weaker

In the last few years, several studies have found static stretching before playing a sport makes you slower and weaker.

And when experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention combed through more than 100 papers looking at stretching studies, they found people who stretched before exercise were no less likely to suffer injuries such as a pulled muscle, which the increased flexibility from stretching is supposed to prevent.

Stretch AFTER your Workout for Better Results

O'Sullivan said stretching helps with flexibility, but people should only do it when they aren't about to exercise, like after a workout, or at the end of the day.

"It's like weight training to become stronger," he said. "You wouldn't do a weight session right before you exercise, and you shouldn't stretch right before either."

Pre Workout Warmup Instead of Stretching

Instead of stretching, many fitness experts recommend warming up with a light jog or sport-specific exercise, like kicking for football or a few serves for tennis. That type of light movement increases the heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, warming up the body temperature.

"This allows you to approach your full range of motion, but in a very controlled way," said Dr. Anders Cohen, chief of neurosurgery and spine surgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and former physician for the U.S. Tennis Open. Cohen said elite athletes in all sports are increasingly ditching static stretching and using other warm-up techniques instead.

Old School Static Stretching Not Going Away


But the message has yet to trickle down to legions of joggers and recreational athletes. "This is classic, old-school stretching that has been done for generations," Cohen said. "It's going to be very hard to convince people to start doing something different."
There's more news for the traditionalists: research shows static stretching doesn't work as well as more active stretching. Active stretching can include moves that incorporate movement, such as lunges.

Active Stretching a Better Approach

In a study published earlier this year in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, Roberto Meroni of the University of Milan and colleagues found people who stretched using conventional stretching techniques, like bending over to touch their toes, were less flexible than those who did active stretching.

Active stretching is also referred to as static-active stretching. An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist muscles. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there without anything (other than your leg muscles themselves) to keep the leg in that extended position. The tension of the agonists in active stretchinghelps to relax the muscles being stretched (the antagonists) by reciprocal inhibition.

Active stretching increases active flexibility and strengthens the agonistic muscles. Active stretches are usually quite difficult to hold and maintain for more than 10 seconds and rarely need to be held any longer than 15 seconds.

Meroni said static stretching simply forces the muscle being stretched to endure the pain of that stretch. With active stretching that work more muscles, the stretched muscles learn to extend while another group is working.

Those types of stretches are commonly used in yoga, which emphasizes how the body is aligned during stretches, not just flexibility. Many yoga poses involve the whole body and focus not only on stretching a particular muscle, but the ligaments, tendons and joints around it.

Still, experts don't discount static stretching entirely. Lynn Millar, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, said health and fitness experts recommend people stretch several times a week and that most types of stretching work.
Maximizing the benefits of stretching may simply boil down to a matter of when you  stretch, how you stretch and how often you stretch, according to Jeff Behar, a health and fitness experts from Beverly Hills, California, and CEO of MuscleMagFitness.com.

"If you are going to stretch your muscles and then do some intense training, you're not going to get fantastic results, you are more likely to be tighter and weaker" added Behar.
Instead, Behar recommends active isolated stretching that mimic the movement of your intended activity, like some deep knee lunges while walking for runners.
"Stretching is vital to become more flexible," Behar said. "But stretching  has to be done at the right time and for the right reasons. The best time to stretch is following your workout to stretch out uour muscles and minimize post-workout lactic acid buildup. This will also help minimize dalyed onset muscle soreness (DMOS) often associated with intense weight training and other exercising."

Straight Sets vs. Supersets: whats best for strength and muscle

OPENING ARGUMENT

Defense: Supersets and trisets involve doing two or three exercises back-to-back without any rest. The lack of rest puts a lot of stress on the targeted muscle.
Prosecution: In straight sets, you rest one to three minutes before doing each consecutive set. This recovery time can keep your strength up on the later sets.

EVIDENCE

  • For four weeks, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) researchers had untrained males perform an upper-body workout three times per week, which consisted of dumbbell lateral raises, dumbbell curls and lying triceps extensions as either straight sets of 10 reps per set or as trisets, also for 10 reps.
  • The subjects who trained with straight sets gained over 40% more strength on the curls and 60% more strength on the lateral raises than those using the triset method.
  • Those using straight sets also gained 70% more muscle in their arms than those using trisets.

VERDICT: STRAIGHT SETS

Beginners should not step up to doing high-intensity techniques, such as supersets and trisets until they have a minimum of six months of training under their lifting belts. It appears to be too stressful for novice muscles, and does not provide the same type of results that straight sets can provide beginners. Apparently, untrained muscles require more time to recover between sets to stimulate optimum strength and mass gains.

SENTENCING

  • Stick to straight sets, if you have fewer than six months of consistent weight training.
  • Perform approximately three sets per exercise.
  • Rest approximately two to three minutes between sets.
  • Perform approximately six to 12 sets for larger muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, legs) and three to nine sets for smaller muscle groups (biceps, triceps, abs, forearms, calves).
  • Keep reps for most exercises in the eight-to-12 range.
— Jim Stoppani, PhD
Reference: D. Landin and A.G. Nelson, “Early phase strength development: A four-week training comparison of different programs,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(4):1113-16, 2007.
- See more at: http://www.flexonline.com/training/trial-straight-sets-vs-supersets#sthash.TJbSEa94.dpuf

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Diabetics and Fiber

Eating fiber every day decreases the risk factors associated with diabetes according to a new
study in Nutrition Journal. Researchers found that increased dietary fiber intake amound diabetic
patients was associated with better blood sugar control, reduced cardiovascular disease risk
factors and incidence of chronic kidney disease.
More than 25.8 million Americans of all ages are affected by diabetes, about 8.3 percent of the
U.S. population, according to the National Institute of Health. It's the leading cause of kidney
failure, nontraumatic lower-limb amputations and new cases of blindness among adults as well as
a major cause of heart disease and stroke.
The new study, which appears in Nutrition Journal, took a look at fiber among 4,399 Japanese
subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus using a self-administered diet history questionnaire.
Researchers investigated the information and associations between dietary fiber intake and
various cardiovascular risk factors cross-sectionally.
They found that "increased dietary fiber intake was associated with better glycemic control and
more favorable cardiovascular disease risk factors including chronic kidney disease," they wrote.
"Diabetic patients should be encouraged to consume more dietary fiber in daily life."
The American Dietetic Association and the Institute of Medicine recommend that healthy adults
get between 18 and 35 grams a day of fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole and high-fiber grains
and legumes. The Harvard School of Public Health says the average American's daily intake of
dietary fiber is only 12 to 15 grams. Fiber supplements could help bridge the gap. "Even with a
fiber-rich diet, a supplement may be needed to bring fiber intakes into a range adequate to
prevent constipation," according to the ADA.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

8 Reasons Why You Need To Start Exercising


As we all know, exer­cis­ing has many many ben­e­fits for the human body and mind .In the arti­cle below we chose the 8 most impor­tant reasons.
1.It pre­vents Aging
With reg­u­lar exer­cise you will  big­ger flow of oxy­gen in the blood which in turn works well on the mem­ory . Reg­u­lar exer­cise evokes reac­tions in the brain that directly slow down the degen­er­a­tion of the cen­tral ner­vous sys­tem, and the effect that exer­cise has on mus­cle and is eas­ily visible.They become stronger and big­ger, which con­tributes to greater agility while being aged per­son . In fact the tests say that the aging process does not affect human health as much as the poor phys­i­cal activ­ity over the years.
2. Improves The Func­tion­ing Of The Brain
If you thought that main­tain­ing the brain in shape is solv­ing Sudoku and cross­words, you just lied your­self, bet­ter wear sneak­ers and run to the park to run a cir­cle or two. Stud­ies made un the Uni­ver­sity of Illi­nois showed that vir­tu­ally there is no dif­fer­ence between adults who are fit and young adults when it comes to brain activity.We have already noted that exer­cise causes increased cir­cu­la­tion that feeds the brain, but it also helps the devel­op­ment of nerve cells in the part of the brain respon­si­ble for the memory.

3. It Is Great For The Sex­ual Life
Even med­ical stud­ies have proven that the more“fit” you  are the  bet­ter  sex per­for­manceyou will have. They are based on two main points, psy­cho­log­i­cal — when you are not over­weight you have a good time, it makes you even more to think about sex and phys­i­cal activity.Also when you are fit, you will have  improved  libido, blood cir­cu­la­tion and the func­tion­ing of repro­duc­tive organs for men is espe­cially impor­tant for ever hav­ing sex.Even Cedric Bryant of the Amer­i­can Coun­cil on Exer­cise said: “Exer­cise is a nat­ural Via­gra. Those who work­out reg­u­larly have an increased desire, greater self-confidence which in turn means a greater chance of orgasm and gen­er­ally for bet­ter sex.
4.Struggles With Insomnia
Relax­ation exer­cises will help you relieve stress, headaches, and back pain and the insom­nia. With exer­cise the body releases endor­phins which are nat­ural pain pill, a sense of secu­rity and a feel­ing that you have things under con­trol.
Phys­i­cal activ­ity dur­ing the day will help good qual­ity sleep at night. It is ideal to exer­cise in the morn­ing, because later in the day it may have slightly counter effect when it comes for sleeping.
5.Exercise Is A Fighter Against Impotence
Already men­tioned in the sex  sec­tion  , improved cir­cu­la­tion also affects “that” organ. Dr. Andrew Makalu of Insti­tute for Sex­ual Health for men says:
“Loos­ing weight, can­cel­la­tion of smok­ing and increas­ing the phys­i­cal activ­ity improves sex­ual health. All the time we talk — treat­ment, treat­ment, treat­ment. Finally we see many evi­dences that tell us that all this can be changed only by chang­ing the way of life. ”
6.Prevents Stroke
Look­ing for a very seri­ous rea­son to finally ful­fill that so much talked about promise that you will start exer­cis­ing? Here’s your one. Exer­cise seri­ously reduces the chance of stroke. “Highly active” peo­ple are 27% less likely to get stroke by those who do not, while “medium active” have a 20% lower chance. Who are peo­ple with “high activ­ity”? 15–20 min­utes of jog­ging a day will place you in this group . Many of those who have expe­ri­enced a stroke, died.

7.It Is Good For The Mind And Spirit
In an arti­cle of ‘90, the sports psy­chol­o­gist Dr. R. Brown made ​​a small list for the impact of exer­cise  of the human psy­che: “Exer­cise turns atten­tion away from daily prob­lems, , allows social inter­ac­tion that is not pos­si­ble when a per­son is act­ing as an indi­vid­ual, increases con­fi­dence, reduces tension
Pro­vides oxy­gen and nutri­ents to the body
Stud­ies say that with just a lit­tle exer­cise sev­eral times a week, peo­ple over 80 can dra­mat­i­cally improve their health If this applies to grand­par­ents, it must be true for younger ones also With exer­cise, as already men­tioned, more oxy­gen is used for the work of body and also reduces high blood pres­sure which is very com­mon for the elderly people

Proper Body Mechanics Is Crucial In and Outside the Gym, Especially During CrossFit and Other Extreme Forms of Exercise


As a general rule, you'll reap the most from any regular exercise regimen by including plenty of variety. In this interview, Dr. Kelly Starrett, who is one of the leaders in the CrossFit movement, shares what CrossFit is and the importance of proper body mechanics, both in and outside the gym.  

CrossFit was started in 2000 and has about 7,000 gyms, most in the US. It is a strength and conditioning program that advocates a perpetually changing mix of aerobics, body weight lifting, gymnastics and Olympic weight lifting. It is one of the most extreme forms of exercise out there, is not for everyone, and I advise you to use caution if you decide to try it, as doing it incorrectly can lead to injury. 
Dr. Kelly has a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, so he's a clinical doctor. He's also the author of the book Becoming a Supple Leopardwhich is an excellent resource for exploring and addressing any biomechanical inadequacies you may have, which could increase your risk of injury.
For the last nine years, he's been running his own independent training center in San Francisco called San Francisco CrossFit. Dr. Kelly estimates tens of thousands of athletes have trained there, and he also has a clinical practice there.
"When they come to us, we find out that most people don't have a schema for understanding how their body works," he says.
"[But] people are taking their health much more seriously... They're realizing that you just can't wait for a set of nagging indicators like pain and disease, numbness and tingling and swelling to pop up..."

Dysfunctional Movement Patterns May Be the Root of Your Pain

The fact that more people are starting to take proactive health steps is encouraging. Increasingly, and perhaps you're one of them, people are starting to realize that a major part of being healthy is to be pain-free, and they're realizing that pain doesn't have to be an inevitable part of aging. Part of being pain free is re-learning how to move your body properly.
"The central tenet of CrossFit is that we're going to help [you] be able to express all the things a human being should be able to do," he says. "Can you close your ankle down all the way? If so, you are going to squat all the way down – this is an easy task for people to do. Can you squat all the way down with your feet and knees together? That is an expression of full hip motion. Turns out, most people can't do that without falling over or without their heels coming up.
What we know is that in exercise, in strength and conditioning, is it's really become a formal language of human movement... I'm [teaching] people to express full range motion, and being able to manage those independent loads on your spine."
Essentially, CrossFit takes basic, fundamental movements that you should be able to perform, and then bumps up the intensity. For example, once you can properly perform a squat, you add a bit of weight, or perform it while breathing hard, or moving faster, or for more reps, or you increase the intensity by performing it at a faster pace. The idea is to increase the challenge of performing basic movements, because under intensity, your cardiovascular and respiratory systems are greatly stimulated.
"That's the heart and soul of what CrossFit really is. At the end of it, I teach a course for CrossFit called a Movement and Mobility Course, where we teach people the principles of how their bodies are wired to move, and how to fix them when they can't," he says.

The Importance of Having Good Range of Motion

According to Dr. Kelly, movement is actually an excellent diagnostic tool. Once you come up against the limits of your range of motion and capacity, you know where your problem is, and where you need to focus your attention. Having good range of motion and flexibility is particularly important when you're engaging in high intensity exercises.
A lot of the common musculoskeletal problems that clinicians encounter are the result of poor or improper movement. So the first thing Dr. Kelly does in his clinic, and in the gym, is to correct your movement pattern. Once your joints are properly aligned, your muscles and soft tissues can perform better, and typically this will resolve your initial dysfunction and put you in a position where you can safely exercise at higher levels of intensity.
I do believe that CrossFit can be an exceptional exercise program as long as it is used properly and one doesn't violate any individual range of motion challenges. It can be an excellent tool to get in highly competitive shape. However, for my tastes it can be too intense and it is easy for many to push beyond their limits and become injured and some seriously.
As long as you know these are dangers and compensate for them by having individualized instruction that addresses your specific range of motion challenges it can be a phenomenal way to get in shape. Just be very careful to listen to your body and honor any feedback it is giving you. It would be really sad to develop a serious injury that would prevent you from exercising long term. Remember, health is a journey, it is not a destination and you will need to continue this journey the rest of your life.

Potential Dangers You Need to Be Aware Of

Some have criticized CrossFit as being dangerous, and dysfunctional movement is one factor that can play a role in that risk. Personally, I would advise you to use caution when trying a program like CrossFit, as most people do have some biomechanical challenge and would benefit from personal rather than group instruction. But there are also other risks to consider. The potential hazards of this extreme form of exercise were recently highlighted in the media.1 According to Eric Robertson, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Regis University in Denver, CrossFit could lead to a condition called rhabdomyolysis, oftentimes referred to as "rhabdo."
Severe exertion is one factor that can set off this potentially fatal condition, which rapidly releases proteins into your blood, resulting in kidney damage and, potentially, kidney failure. Last year, Robertson penned an article2 titled "CrossFit's Dirty Little Secret," in which he states: "Rhabdomyolysis isn't a common condition, yet it's so commonly encountered in CrossFit that they have a cartoon about it, nonchalantly casting humor on something that should never happen."

According to ABC News3:
"Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for ABC News, says cases of rhabdo, which he describes as a 'death of muscle cells, occur only after you ask your muscles, 'to keep working after they've stopped getting any energy to get the job done.'' 'That's really dangerous,' Besser said... adding that the condition can be prevented.
'If you're listening to your body and you're getting that burn and you say, 'Okay I've reached my limit,' and you stop, you're never going to see this happen,' he said. 'One of the warning signs is your muscles are saying, 'I need to stop now.'' To prevent rhabdo, Besser recommends staying hydrated both before and during exercise, taking breaks and listening to your body. 'No pain, no gain is the worst approach to exercise,' he said."

Intensity Is Key for an Effective Workout, But Use Caution

According to Dr. Kelly, long-distance running is far more dangerous than CrossFit, in large part due to the repetitiveness of the motion. Well, that may be true for some, as an uninjured long distance runner for over four decades, I believe the potential for overexertion and injury makes CrossFit a riskier proposition than many other forms of exercise. And the major downside is that many people who don't really exercise and become injured after trying CrossFit may never return to an exercise program.
I ran for 43 years and even did a sub 2:50 marathon. But this wasn't because of brilliance and was largely due to ignorance of better exercising strategies. I didn't really pursue any other exercises until seven or eight years ago. It has now become really clear to me that high-intensity exercise is a FAR more effective strategy for building cardiovascular and overall fitness.
However, recovery is also part of the equation, and I would not recommend doing high intensity exercises more than three times per week. Your body needs to properly recover in between. Dr. Kelly agrees that intensity is the key to an effective workout, but believes competitive athletes can train hard nearly every day as long as they are using different movements. After all, CrossFit is nothing if not intense!
"We see that metabolic and respiratory conditioning has the greatest impact... You know, by raising the average intensity, what you're doing is upsetting homeostasis, which is what you need to do. By making something more intense, what you're really doing is causing a change in that second wave adaptation [in your body]. That can be done by sprinting. It can also be done in air squats, push-ups, pull-ups, or in multiple joint movements.
We don't have to relegate ourselves looking at cardio-respiratory health simply as 'you have to be on a bike or run and win.' Those things are easy to measure, but then you could also be climbing a hill, putting dumbbells over your head, carrying something heavy around, or pulling a sled.
All I'm trying to do is raise the average intensity of the exercises that I do. We use Tabata... We do sprints... We do a lot of rowing. But we start adding the intervals and we build couplets in between some simple bodyweight exercises or some elemental strength and conditioning exercises, and some of these mixed modalities of running, jumping, or rowing. Then we can have a fantastic, very short workout that has you trained at the limits of your ability, where we raise the average intensity."

The Importance of Recovery

If you're committed and disciplined, you may be more likely to ignore or discount the importance of recovery. This could easily become your undoing, as recovery is just as important as any other aspect of your fitness regimen. I believe that high intensity exercises such as my Peak Exercises should not be done more than three times a week. As explained by Dr. Kelly, other movements that cause your heart rate to go higher, or even peak, can make you exceed that three-times-a-week limit, but you want to be cautious, and as a simple guideline not do a single-motion type exercise at high intensity more than three times a week to start. The key concept here is to train your body gradually, over time, to be able to handle higher intensity workloads. You really need to learn to listen to your body, and not push it too far.
"[A]thletes, they're training six days a week, sometimes twice a day [but] the thing that allows that to happen is that they manage their recovery," he says. "For example, we will look at ways to measure heart rate variability, which is a fantastic measurement of sort of dystopia between your parasympathetic and your sympathetic nervous system, your recovery nervous system, and your fight-or-flight nervous system.
We see that when people are very stressed, training very hard, or engaged in monostructural, long-term aerobic work, we see decreases in testosterone, increases in cortisol, and in that change in that heart rate… As you breathe in, your heart rate should increase. As you breathe out, your heart rate should decrease."

Sitting Kills... Even if You Exercise Regularly

Over the past year, I've become increasingly focused on understanding the biomechanics of the sitting process, which research tells us is an independent risk factor for chronic disease and reduced lifespan—even if you exercise regularly.
I've interviewed experts on this issue to learn what we can do to mitigate such risks. One such expert is NASA scientist Dr. Joan Vernikos, who promotes non-exercise activities, such as simply standing up every 10 minutes, as the remedy. Another facet of the issue of why sitting can wreak such havoc on your health is your posture mechanics while seated. Esther Gokhale, creator of the Gokhale Method, has come up with sitting techniques that essentially turn sitting itself into an exercise that benefits your entire system.
"When we say exercise, you're training for an hour. If you go back and sit 10 to 12 hours a day, which is where most people are sitting, that is, by definition, a sedentary lifestyle" Dr. Kelly says. "Metabolically, the equivalent of smoking and running... When you sit down, a whole bunch of complex biomechanical things happen, including the fact that when you sit down, you turn the leg musculature off. It literally turns off. The mechanism to clear congestion and limp in your system is muscle contraction. That's what drives you lymphatic system.
You know, sitting is a skill and you should be able to handle some sitting, but two out of the three primary components that's helping stabilize your spine are knocked out. You don't have any hip stability. You can't manage your pelvic position with your glutes anymore."
Improper sitting can actually lead to workout injuries. Overextension injuries, Dr. Kelly claims, is a rather common problem. To address the issue of prolonged sitting and its associated health consequences, Dr. Kelly gives the following advice:
"What we recommend is that, in your work environment, where you have to sit, you should not sit. You can raise up your workstation and lean against the stool, and change your position often. You're going to have a much different impact.You know, there was some great research on the Wii that showed that the Wii video game system was pretty successful at burning calories. Turned out that it burned as many calories as standing, which I think is totally ironic. People don't need a $10,000 treadmill desk. They need a phonebook, something they can put their foot on. They need a really cheap bar stool, and the idea is to have you constantly moving through the day that doesn't look like sitting."

Proper Posture Is Key for Good Health

In Dr. Kelly's experience, one of the most common mistakes people make is that they don't brace their spine. By understanding how to brace, and learning the correct sequence of movement, you can reduce your risk of injury—in and out of the gym. Proper posture and correct movement also affects your overall health in ways you may never have considered. As Dr. Kelly explains:
"We see, for example, there's a lot of emphasis on pelvic floor dysfunction in women. But what we know is that when your spine is in a disorganized position, then you're either overextended or flexed... What ends up happening is that in the diaphragm, mechanics are actually compromised. What we see is decreased excursion of the diaphragm and we start to see more patterned breathing up to the neck, which is inefficient... You cannot stabilize your spine as well [either] because you cannot use your diaphragm to create strong intra-abdominal pressure.
So you end up creating a very dysfunctional, stressed breathing pattern that also impacts your cortisol levels – your stress hormones... If I can get your spine organized and cultivate that, we clean up breathing problems, we clear up pelvic floor dysfunction, and spine dysfunction. That's number one – we always prioritize spine first in everything we do."

Friday, January 24, 2014

Burn the Fat Quicker Like a Bodybuilder Pro with These Supplements


   
Over the years there have been many new supplements that have came to market promising the world. How does one know what to use? What actually provides a good return on the financial investment? Sure literature may show it works, but compared to a placebo, how much did it work? 1% better? With so much competition for our supplement budget it is essential that a bodybuilder on a limited budget purchase supplements that work.
So, what supplements really work to burn fat? In this article I will attempt to discuss the supplements that I feel are worth the money and that I believe should be in everyone's arsenal.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
    CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid in a number of foods (CLA such as milk, cheese, beef, lamb, etc.) that exerts a positive effect on protein and fat metabolism by accelerating fat loss.
    CLA's commercial form is derived from sunflower oil. In addition to increasing lean muscle mass while reducing body fat, studies have also shown CLA to have anti-catabolic, anti-oxidant, and immune support.
    An ideal daily dose of CLA for a 200 lb. athlete is approximately 4-5 g/day even divided and taken with meals.



L-carnitine
    L-carnitine is a non-essential amino acid (said to be non-essential because human bodies produce it) that burns fat by transferring long-chain fatty acids, such as triglycerides into mitochondria where the compound is oxidized to produce energy.
    L-carnitine is a key ingredient in the formation of mitochondria membranes (tiny structures in your cells that burn fats for energy).
    L-carnitine is also reported to improve the recovery rate for athletes by limiting the production of lactic acid (a waste product in muscle tissue).
    Without optimal amounts of L Carnitine, there is not optimal fat burning because the breakdown of long chain fatty acids is slowed. L-carnitine works best with a diet moderately low in carbohydrates (50 percent or less of calories consumed) because high levels of carbohydrates promote high levels of insulin, which inhibits L-carnitine activity.
    1,000 mg to 4,000mg (1 to 4 grams) should be taken on an empty stomach; half an hour before a meal, right before a workout or a couple of hours after eating to optimize fat loss.



Omega-3 Fatty Acids
    Omega-3 (along with omega-6) belongs to a family of fats called essential fatty acids. These EFAs are found in polyunsaturated fats.
    Studies suggest Omega-3 has positive effects on the body's blood sugar. They also support the bodies metabolic rate resulting in more calories burned.
    The richest natural source is flax seed oil (linseed oil) Oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, rainbow trout, eels, kippers and mackerel also contain high levels of Omega-3 EFAs.
    I recommend 10 to 12 grams per day with meals in equally divided amounts.



Calcium Pyruvate (Pyruvate)
    Calcium Pyruvate (Pyruvate) is a naturally formed product (a three-carbon ketoacid produced in the end stages of glycolysis) that enhances the transport of glucose and protein into muscle cells and increases the amount of ATP available to the mitochondria.
    (Pyruvate is the "end" product when carbohydrates and proteins are metabolized in the body).
    Pyruvate's fat burning benefits are based on its potential to increase resting metabolic rate. Pyrurate increases the body's use of fat as an energy source for cellular respiration thus raising our metabolic rate, and the higher our resting metabolism, the more calories we burn throughout the day. The calories burned are also calories that will not be stored as fat. There is controversy as to what dosage of pyruvate is effective.
    Critics argue that while pyruvate may be effective for weight loss, the amount required is too high (30 grams a day) to be safe for daily consumption. Recent studies have shown effectiveness using only six grams of pyruvate a day.
    Although there is disagreement, I have found that eight grams of pyruvate divided over three doses works well for me, especially when I am taking CLA and L-carnitine. Higher doses can be irritating to the stomach.



Thermogenics Supplements 

    Thermogenesis is the process by which the body generates heat, or energy, by increasing the metabolic rate above normal. This rise in the body's basal metabolic rate (BMR) is often referred to as the "thermogenic effect". Thermogenesis is activated by a variety of different mechanisms, most notably exercise, exposure to cold (body heat rises through shivering response), through good nutrition and through including supplements.
    Regarding thermogenic supplements, unfortunately the only supplement I believe truly issues a real thermogenic response is ephedra. Ephedra increases the heart rate and strongly stimulate the nervous system to release catecholamines, which stimulate fat cells to break down.
    Unfortunately ephedra is no longer available in the US. As far as I have seen, through personal experience and by reviewing scientific studies I do not see any comparable substitute products in terms of effectiveness.
    The vitamin companies will tell you differently and hype their "new" ephedra free formulas, and the new "transport systems".
    These "new and improved" products were rushed to the marketing my opinion to replace the revenue lost by the FDA banning of ephedra based products.
    As far as the current natural "thermo" products, many of them contain similar ingredients, just in different dosages.
    Most rely on simple metabolism boosters such as caffeine and synephrine to make you feel the "buzz" while containing any number of combinations of natural herbs and minerals, such as tyrosine, calcium, selenium, green tea, 7-Keto, yerba mate, guarana, guggul products etc.
    Some even add niacin so you feel the "heat", so the customer feels that more calories are being burned.
    I am not saying that these natural fat burners do not work at all but what I am saying is if you expect them to work as well as the ephedra based products you will be disappointed.
    In fact they may even work psychosomatically (in your head), and if it works for you because of that, then it is worthwhile for you. Just remember however, that scientifically there is no basis that these products will raise thermogenic levels appreciably to make it worth the money that these companies are charging (upwards of $50.00 a bottle!).



MCT Oil
    MCT Oil stands for Medium Chain Tryglycerides. MCTs are derived from coconut oil. When MCT oil is metabolized in the body, it behaves more like a carbohydrate than a fat.
    Remember that the fuel of preference for the body is carbohydrate. Unlike other fats, MCT oil does not go through the lymphatic system. Instead, it is transported directly from the small intestine to the liver by the portal vein.
    In the liver, some of the MCTs are turned into ketone bodies, which the muscles can use for energy like a carbohydrate.
    Some MCT's are used for thermogenesis, and a portion is converted to ATP, the energy currency of the cell. Because MCTs are processed in the liver, so there is little left to be stored as fat.

It is an excellent energy source on low carb diets, so gone are the "low carb blahs which were often the case when bodybuilders were forced to low carb, and still have to find energy to train. MCT oils can irritate the stomach so when starting a plan with MCT oils work up to a dose that your body can stand.



Honorable Mentions
  • Secondary supplements that aid in glucose transport (e.g., chromium).

  • Secondary supplements that aid in adrenal gland function and conversion of glucose to energy (e.g., Vitamin B5/pantothenic acid, Magnesium)

  • Secondary supplements important for the maintenance of blood glucose levels (Manganese)

  • Secondary supplements that support healthy insulin levels that are normal (e.g., chromium, Brewer's Yeast, zinc)

  • Secondary supplements that assist with fat loss (e.g., Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Ginseng, Inositol)

  • Secondary supplements that stabilize fat absorption (e.g., Chitosan)

  • Secondary supplements that aid in fatty acid metabolism (e.g., B3, Niacin/Niacinamide)

  • Supplements that slows down the body's fat-making process (e.g., calcium)

Thursday, January 23, 2014

How to break through Exercise sticking points and get Strong all the time

Progress rarely travels in a straight ascending line. If that were so and everyone grew stronger from one workout to the next, perpetually using more weight or doing more reps, then strength records would surely be broken on a weekly basis and gyms would be full of Olympia-caliber physiques. Even easygainers don’t grow stronger during every workout, and hardgainers can be stuck at the same relative strength level for months or even years. Ronnie Coleman has a saying posted in his house: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. To go beyond, you need to do something different. When you reach a roadblock, take a detour or you’ll never move forward.”
In this article, we detail ways to overcome a strength plateau for a specific lift, using the bench press as our example. Let’s say you want to set a new personal best for the bench press. Workout after workout, you pyramid up to 225 for six reps, but no matter how hard you struggle, you can’t do seven on your own, nor can you get six reps with more than 225. Sometimes you can get only four or five reps, but even on your best day, six is your limit. For both neuromuscular and psychological reasons, six is your Waterloo (orWeightloo). You’ve reached a roadblock. Here are seven routes for getting around it.

ROUTE 1: Lighten up

Training lighter to get stronger might seem antithetical until you understand that with low reps (six or fewer), each rep taxes you more than if you do medium (seven to 12) or high (13 or more) reps. Therefore, the more reps you do, the easier it is to do one more when approaching failure. Put simply, if you have only 10% of your strength reserves left, it will be much easier to get a 13th rep after doing 12 than to get a seventh after doing six. Stop performing low-rep sets until you’ve grown appreciably stronger in the 10- to 12-rep range.

ROUTE 2: Go heavy during related lifts

To take the focus off the targeted lift but still strive for low-rep strength, place your focus instead on a related lift. For example, do heavy incline presses, decline presses or dumbbell bench presses after the heavy work for other lifts. Either avoid barbell bench presses entirely or do only light sets. To heighten the effectiveness of this technique, rotate the related lifts, never going heavy during the same exercise two workouts in a row. When you’ve increased your strength for the related lifts, return your primary focus to the target lift.
- See more at: http://www.flexonline.com/training/sticking-points#sthash.CLcrJ8O0.dpuf

ROUTE 3: Prioritize the secondary muscles

When focusing on boosting strength during compound basic lifts, the key is frequently the secondary muscles. For the bench press, pectorals are considered the primary muscles, but front deltoids and triceps are typically the muscles that give out first. (In fact, science proves the triceps are the single most important muscles in a successful bench press.) For at least one month, don’t do regular bench presses for fewer than 10 reps. Instead, focus on heavy shoulder presses in your shoulder routine and close-grip bench presses in your triceps routine, pyramiding up to maximum sets of six reps.

ROUTE 4: Go faster

Plyometric exercises focus on the speed of movement by first stretching a muscle and then immediately contracting it. For example, rapidly jumping up and down from a squatting position improves the vertical leap of basketball players. Plyometric techniques are also used by powerlifters and Olympic lifters to decrease the amount of time a muscle contracts, thus boosting power. As a bodybuilder trying to overcome a bench-press plateau, you can either perform lighter bench presses very rapidly, pushing up the bar twice as fast as it’s lowered, or you can do rapid “pushups” after sets of bench presses. Do not pause between the descent and ascent; instead, transition from one to the other as quickly as possible.

ROUTE 5: Constrict your range of motion

Lifts tend to fail in the same position — the proverbial sticking point — each time. For the bench press, this is usually somewhere between midway up to just before lockout (when the front deltoids and triceps are doing most of the work). To overcome sticking points, target them. Set a flat bench in a power rack, adjust the pins so that the bar stops and starts at approximately midway, and place the bar on the pins. Pressing off the pins to lock out each rep, do three or four sets of these bench presses during each chest workout. Do other chest exercises, but don’t return to full bench presses until you have appreciably increased your strength in the upper half of the movement
- See more at: http://www.flexonline.com/training/sticking-points?page=2#sthash.uHHdCz6x.dpuf

ROUTE 6: Expand your range of motion

This may seem to contradict the previous approach. However, they both have a similar effect of altering your range of motion so that you’re stronger when you return to the original lift. This is akin to a baseball player warming up with a loaded bat, thus making his usual bat feel lighter when he swings it again. For the bench press, you can either use dumbbells or a cambered barbell to increase the stretch at the bottom. Don’t go heavy with a cambered bar, and don’t lower the middle portion all the way to your chest if your shoulders won’t comfortably allow it. The emphasis should be on a fuller range of motion than usual, not on maximum low reps.

ROUTE 7: Try tri-cycling

Another long-accepted powerlifting technique is cycling strength training so that reps get progressively lower and weights get progressively heavier over a period of weeks. For bench presses, divide the cycle into thirds. Start with 12- to 15-rep sets for the first three weeks, then go to eight- to 12-rep sets for the next three weeks, and finally pyramid up to five-to-seven-rep sets for the final three weeks. Always strive to use more weight or to get more reps with the same weight.

LESS OF THE SAME 

We used the bench press for our example, but all of these techniques can be utilized, with the possible exception of “Expand your range of motion,” to boost your strength for compound basics such as squats, deadlifts, bent rows and shoulder presses. You can sometimes use more than one technique simultaneously. The important thing is to give up the belief that greater effort applied to the same “go heavy or go home” workout is all you need. More of the same is not the answer; less of the same is. Be willing to take detours to avoid the roadblocks and reach your destination faster.